Time Traveler Zindel

You look at Zindel. Something appears to be troubling him.

The situation needs to be resolved right away.

"You said you could hear the Dimensional Crystals talking to you, right? It seems I wasn't wrong about you after all."

"I can almost feel the pull of the Dimensional Crystals. We have to solve this problem together, quickly."

You explain a bit more about the problem to Zindel. You tell him about the strange power blocking the other crystals from helping you.

Zindel frowns and mulls over what you've said.

"There's a power that can interfere with the Giga Crystal? How could that be?"

"It seems our enemies are stronger than we imagined..."

"%n%, come here. Can you help me get up north and investigate? Have you seen anyone suspicious around?"

"If you find any dangerous looking creatures, get rid of them for me."

"Oh, one more thing. Try to find anything you can about the Drifters."

"I would really appreciate it."

You give the Traitor's List to Zindel and catch him up to speed on the situation.

"What? The Sage's Warning? They thought I was the Chosen One?"

You sense a shift in Zindel's attitude. He's not his normal carefree self.

"Why would my name be on this list? Maybe it's from when I was young..."

"Honestly, I'm hurt by this. It looks like you never really trusted me at all!"

"That's why you took this to Anthorra before you brought it to me, right?"

"I thought I could trust you, but you're just like them. You doubted me this whole time. I guess it's true what they say: The only person you can truly rely on is yourself."

You apologize profusely and explain that you were trying to prove his innocence this whole time. You tell him you don't like hiding things from your partner.

"Partner, huh? Fine. I need your help with something else then. If you were really trying to clear my name, I could use the help. That still doesn't mean I completely trust you. I'll be keeping my eye on you to see if you're worth trusting."

Zindel seems unhappy, but cooled off from his previous rage.

"%n%, it's you. I was just reading through the Traitor's List."

"I found a name on here that sounds familiar, I swear I've heard it somewhere before."

"Oh, right! I think Chara was just looking for you. You should go find her and see what's so important."

"I need to finish going through this list anyway. Go find Chara for now."

"Hey, %n%, how's it going? You look so thin. Do you need some more rations?"

You tell Zindel that you need Noll's help to search for clues to find Chara and the Investigation Team, but Noll is lost in his research.

"I can help you with that. I know too well how hard it is to lose someone close to you. It's not an easy thing to bear. Plus, she's one of my closest friends."

"So you found Chara's handkerchief surrounded by skeletons in the southern beast nests?"

"Can you describe the beasts for me?"

You start to describe the beasts to Zindel.

"Oh. I know what those are. I've traveled through so many dimensions, I'm bound to run into most things. They are scavengers by nature, taking meat they find back to their nests. That explains all the skeletons you found."

"If you're asking me what I think happened to the Investigation Team, they probably ended up somewhere else nearby (68, 596). I've always wondered what was over there. We haven't been to that area yet, so start your search there."

"Losing friends can be traumatizing..."

(Zindel looks wistfully off into the distance.)

"I hope we can find Chara's friend."

You tell Zindel about what you found around the nest.

"So you ran into some lava beasts? What? You found traces of people fleeing?"

"It's as I expected... They must have attacked the Investigation Team!"

"Don't worry about them attacking us. The lava beasts only attack things that encroach on their territory. If we leave the area they won't follow us. The tracks you saw fleeing the area must have belonged to the Investigation Team."

"Chara will be elated to hear this news. Take a moment to rest. I'll go tell Chara the good news!"

"Oh, right. %n%, those lava beasts you saw... Can you go get some of their crystals for me?"

"I've been hearing a voice telling me to do that... Maybe we should do what it says..."

"I'm not sure why it wants them. At least this way I'll know if I should keep listening to it."

"Did you get the crystals?"

"The power contained in the crystals... I can feel it..."

"%n%, I think I'm seeing visions of my past!"

"Do you remember what I told you? There was a name on that Traitor's List that looked familiar. I remember now! It's my father's name! His name is Aka."

"I... I think I have a sister too..."

"The visions are fading. Those crystals must have some power in them."

"It looks like those crystals only have power for a short time after being separated from the lava beasts."

"Can you take this mushroom and lure a living lava beast back to camp? Those lava beasts love the smell of mushrooms. Hopefully you don't attract too many back to camp... No, it'll be fine..."

"Can you also keep an eye out for a Strange Cragstone to bring back? Thanks!"

Zindel hands you a mushroom.

"Did you get one to follow you? Those mushrooms are quite strong. I'm sure you'll be able to lure at least one lava beast with it."

You give the Strange Cragstone to Zindel.

"I think... My memories are returning."

"I seem to have remembered something else. We clan members don't inherit our abilities at birth."

"We all began just like you."

"One day when we were young, our powers manifested."

"%n%, I must ask you to return to the golems' lair once more. Seek the strongest Dimensional Golem you can find and kill it."

"Once you've killed it, extract its energy core. It's a tall order, but I think you can manage it."

"Did you get the energy core?"

You give Zindel the energy core. You suddenly realize that he is injured and covered with scars.

You looked around and see the camp in chaos. It must have just held off an attack.

Just then, you see the would-be assassins escaping through the brush.

You quickly look to Zindel, then turn to charge off after the attackers.

"Wait! Don't go after them! I'm alright. We have to plan the next steps carefully."

(Zindel looks exhausted and you decide to let him rest. You head off to talk to the others in the camp.)

(Zindel looks at you sternly.)

"Have you gathered yourself? I have something to tell you."

"I'm starting to remember my connection with them..."

"While I was repelling the attack, I recalled a forgotten memory."

"Let me tell you the history of our tribe, it might be able to help us."

"When I was younger, our world had nothing and was called Nix."

"Our only hope to survive was to pray to Carso's altar."

"One day, my father excitedly told us that we no longer had to pray to Carso to keep the crystals from absorbing our life force."

"I didn't understand it then, but I was glad to leave that world. But it didn't go as planned and people started fighting in the village."

"Some said our new freedom came from our prayers and that we should stay loyal to Carso for the blessing. A smaller group, like my father, saw it as an opportunity to escape and learn to use our new gifts."

"The followers of Carso called us thieves for taking the Sprite King's powers and trying to leave, calling for our execution. Those that wanted to leave began to panic, but their powers were useless without learning to control them. My father's powers were under control, so he faced the believers alone."

"He tried to get everyone out, but the followers of Carso wouldn't let us go without a fight. We reached the end of the road, but my father told us that we were safe."

"He conjured immense energy to tear open a Time Rift that was unstable, but just safe enough for us to escape. The powers he used raged out of control causing time and space to shift, creating the Alternate Dimension. It also caused a huge explosion in the alternate Kaslow that disrupted my memories and led to many people going missing, including my sister..."

"I can remember all of my tribe's painful past now."

"The horrible acts of the Carso Church are fresh in my mind."

(Zindel starts to shudder.)

You try to get Zindel's attention, but he's petrified.

"The Carso believers are far stronger than we are..."

"No one stands a chance against them..."

You try to get his attention, but Zindel keeps muttering about the Carso believers.

It's time to ask the Giga Crystal.

You present Zindel with his portion of meat.

"Oh! This is from Anthorra?" He pops a piece in his mouth and immediately his eyes widen.

"Whoa! This seasoning sure is unusual! But it's delicious! Please thank her for me when you get a chance." Zindel takes the meat and carries on with his business.

Blessed with a sliver of free time, you decide to check in on Zindel.

"I've actually been feeling a bit better lately."

"But I still can't seem to get over my anxiety of running into a Magma Giant or Magma Brute. Could I have had a bad experience with them in the other dimension?"

"I realize that I'm literally asking you to fight my demons for me, but could you please get rid of them? I just can't relax knowing that they're out there roaming around."

"Did you manage to defeat them?"

"I get a sense there's something inside me disrupting my crystal. It makes me feel physically ill..."

You urge him to rest.

"Are they truly gone for good? I'm grateful to you. I can already feel myself relaxing..."

Although you're curious as to what Zindel plans to do once this is all over,

you decide to save your questions for another time.